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Devil in Spring
UPDATE: Deal no longer valid.
RECOMMENDED: Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas is $1.99 at Amazon! So many readers were looking forward to this book when it first released, and Carrie gave it a B+:
Devil in Spring was so delightful that I read it slowly because I had to take frequent squee breaks. I truly cannot sufficiently express how overjoyed this book made me. That said, I don’t think it will be everyone’s catnip, because the main character sometimes seems overly young and naïve, even given her character quirks.
An eccentric wallflower…
Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball, she’s ensnared in a scandal with a wickedly handsome stranger.
A cynical rake…
After years of evading marital traps with ease, Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, has finally been caught-by a rebellious girl who couldn’t be less suitable. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him. But Gabriel finds the high-spirited Pandora irresistible. He’ll do whatever it takes to possess her, even if their marriage of convenience turns out to be the devil’s own bargain.
A perilous plot…
After succumbing to Gabriel’s skilled and sensuous persuasion, Pandora agrees to become his bride. But soon she discovers that her entrepreneurial endeavors have accidentally involved her in a dangerous conspiracy-and only her husband can keep her safe. As Gabriel protects her from their unknown adversaries, they realize their devil’s bargain may just turn out to be a match made in heaven…
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The Dry
UPDATE: Deal no longer valid.
RECOMMENDED: The Dry by Jane Harper is $2.99 at Amazon! It’s a Kindle Daily Deal and I recommend checking out the others – Penny Reid, Ann Leckie, & more! Elyse really enjoyed this mystery and gave it an A in a Lightning Review, there is a content warning though:
The Dry is an excellent, solid mystery. I loved the setting of a rural community struggling through a drought that sets everyone on edge and amplifies tensions.
A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by an award-winning new author.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
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The Drunken Botanist
UPDATE: Deal no longer valid.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart is $1.99 at Amazon! Not sure why price-matching is being so fussy today. This is a nonfiction exploration of plants that can be turned into alcohol, and the history of each. It has a 3.9-star average, and seems like a perfect gift for science nerds, people who enjoy learning the history of the things they eat and drink – or both!
Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries.
Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history.
This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology—with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners—will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party.
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Re: Carve the Mark, multiple readers said it was incredibly problematic for ableism and racism, which I think should at least be mentioned in a post like this?
Round-up of concerns here so people can make their own decisions: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1846887461
What?
I don’t get it. The story for Carve the mark sounds weird. But it makes our heroine come across as a plucky main heroine.
I’ll pick it up and read it otta curiosity.
I don’t get the accusations of linking Chronic pain real people feel to a fantasy novel. I’m open to having a layman’s term explanation.
I’ve been eyeing “The drunken botanist” for a while now. Early Xmas gift to me!
@Nicolette
Jenny Trout wrote a good article explaining how it’s the very fact that the chronic pain is being used to make the heroine a “plucky fighter” that reinforces a lot of real-world thinking that is used against people with chronic pain. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-trout/i-dont-want-this-gift-ver_b_14225762.html
I’d say that the even more important issue, however, and a huge reason to NOT buy it “outta curiosity,” is the overwhelming racism. Unfortunately Justina Ireland’s blog no longer exists, but her post covering how Carve the Mark repeats a lot of racism aimed at Africans in the real world (as well as another book that uses Native American-based people as evil) can be found on the wayback machine here – https://web.archive.org/web/20170219203236/http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this-is-a-blog/2016/12/4/the-continent-carve-the-mark-and-the-trope-of-the-dark-skinned-aggressor
@ Nicolette: “I don’t get the accusations of linking Chronic pain real people feel to a fantasy novel. I’m open to having a layman’s term explanation.”
I’ll try to respond to that. 🙂 Maybe I’ll make sense! 😀 I think because fiction, including science fiction and fantasy, is a place where, like on earth every day, representation matters.
Fiction is where shit gets real.
There’s this thing called inspiration p0rn where disabled people are held up to able bodied people to inspire the abled bodied people. This is a narrow acceptance of people with disabilities. It’s a reductive one.
I have a autoimmune disease, actually a few of them. I experience chronic pain. I would not want a sunlight dappled ad being made of my life, like, C.F. has _______ but it doesn’t stop her, no sir! Look at her go”. I would prefer to be seen and accepted in all my complexity, as everyone does, no matter what. As everyone does. I would like to have my life seen as worthy, even if I’m not seen as productive or successful if the markers to determine these are the ones used by society.
I would like my access to care and treatment to be a right and not a privilege.
Stories are powerful things.
Liz Carlyle’s The Devil to Pay is on sale for $1.99. It gets good reviews and I snapped it up.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who brought the issues regarding Carve the Mark to our attention! Unfortunately, we don’t have enough hours in the day to read all the books mentioned or featured on the site, so I rely mainly on Goodreads comments to parse through good and bad points of a book. Regrettably, some things slip through the cracks.
However, I’m thankful that we foster a community of people who feel comfortably in bringing these things to my attention! The listing has been deleted from the sale post and the book won’t be featured again in the future. And, if anyone was hurt by the sale promotion of a racist/ableist book, I’m deeply sorry.
Thanks Amanda! I felt really nervous about bringing it up, but I’m heartened by the polite discussion that followed and I appreciate you taking action quickly.
I found Pandora a bit chlldish. I’d have like the book better if she’d been older and independent. The book before it, Marrying Winterbourne, describes Pandora and her sister as being very sheltered. Gabriel spent too much time wooing Pandora and with silly misconceptions. It seemed contrived.
That said, a Kleypas is never all that bad. It was okay, but not one of her best.
I was disappointed in “Devil in Spring.” I didn’t finish it.
I didn’t love Devil in Winter. It wasn’t bad, it just failed to live up to my expectations. For $1.99 I’d recommend it.
The first Poldark book is $1.99 right now.
Really enjoyed The Dry! One of my top reads of 2017.
I second the recommendation of The Dry – a great read.
Murder on the Champs-Élysées by Alex Mandon is $.99 on Amazon right now. It’s a historical mystery set in 1900’s Paris – the characters are great and the mystery is very well done. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a day when lately I’ve been having trouble finding books to capture my interest.
I purchased The Dry due to Elyse’s review, and I concur! It’s an excellent mystery and a great, unromantic look at life in country Australia.
I was extremely disappointed with Devil in Spring but I loved The Dry. There is another book coming out, I believe with the same main character, in February.
OOOOOO! Thanks Karen D! The Dry was awesome. I had no idea it was going to be a series.
I agree with everyone who says The Dry is excellent – it is!
Yes, the sequel to The Dry is called Force of Nature. It’s already out in Australia (one of the few times a book is released here _before_ it’s released in the US!) and it does feature Aaron Falk. I liked The Dry better, but Force of Nature was still an enjoyable read.